Diesel generators seem to be unable to help the major beer and draught producers in Ethiopia from the intensive power shedding throughout the country that has cut production for distilleries.
BGI Ethiopia Plc, Ethiopia’s leading beer manufacturer, has faced production decline in all of its brands after its standby generator at the Addis Ababa plant went out of service. The BGI officer in charge of distribution said that power shedding at its distribution center for the Hawassa area had affected the production process at its two main factories in Addis Ababa and Kombolcha. The Kombolcha plant supplies the north, northwest, northeast and central markets of the country while the Addis Ababa plant supplies the rest of the country.
Dashen Beer, began experiencing a shortage in the middle of June. "The shortage is on all brands," Esayas Hadera, marketing manager, said in a written statement.
In an attempt to offset the shortfall with a temporary solution, the factory in Addis Ababa has installed three medium sized generators. However, it imported a high capacity generator that arrived on June 26 which is expected to be up and running in about three weeks, after installation is complete
Harar Brewery, more than 520 km east of Addis Ababa, produces beer with a dominant market share in eastern Ethiopia. It has been operating with two generators, one with 1250kva and another with 600kva. The company’s management claims that the two generators have helped them remain significantly insulated from the blow by the power shortage.
The Ethiopia Electric Power Corp. (EEPCo) said the unprecedented power shortage was due to the erratic rainy season that didn’t supply dams with a sufficient amount of water to produce enough hydropower. The EEPCo was forced to introduce the every other day blackout in mid-May when electrical engineers and officials at the state utility, as well as energy authorities in the government realized that the original power shedding plan would not enable them to maintain the sparse supply to consumers until the rainy season enhanced the water supply of hydroelectric dams.
The critical power shortage problem will be reversed under two conditions: the availability of abundant rain in the current season or the commissioning of the Tekeze Hydropower Generation plant, whose construction was finalized nearly a year ago, and the now completed Gilgel Gibe II.